Paul O’Connell is swapping push-ups and dumbbells for pillows and duvets in a bid to make it to World Cup 2015.

The Ireland legend, 34, played in his third Lions tour last summer and is aiming to make a fourth World Cup appearance in two years.

But, with the giant second row not having played for Ireland since March 2012, what hope has he of being in tip-top shape come 2015?

O’Connell has turned his routine upside down, including dodging gym battles, early bed times and some hardcore spinning classes.

“In terms of playing, I think the big focus for me is to be at the next World Cup and to be in as good a shape as I’ve ever been,” he said ahead of next week’s Autumn ­Internationals opener against Samoa.

“I’ll see after that about playing. It’s been a long time since I last played for Ireland. It’s been a frustrating period but I don’t think not playing international rugby for Ireland in that period is going to affect my performance.

“I don’t do any of the weights that the other lads do any more,” he revealed.

“I mainly do my own specific stuff that suits my body and suits my injuries. I don’t train as much as some of the other lads anymore.

“A lot of the second-rows might go out and do kick-offs or might do some tackling but I generally don’t do that because I need a ­warm-up.

“I try to get out onto the pitch for 10 or 12 minutes before everyone else and do my own warm-up. That suits me.

“I don’t do a lot of the plyometrics anymore either. I suppose I resigned myself to the fact that I’m at a stage now where I need to specify my training and that’s what I’m doing and I’m feeling a lot better.

“I train hard on the Watt bike too. You feel a lot of pain and you feel a lot of lactic build up in your legs. You feel high heart rate but it keeps me off my feet, off the joints. It saves my running and jumping and stuff for the rugby sessions so I can still accumulate fitness without putting a lot of pressure through my body.

“I feel if I go into the gym beside one of the younger lads I find it hard not to compete with them.

“So doing different exercises than them means I have to not compete and that’s a good thing for me.”

And getting plenty of sleep will be O’Connell’s main stategy for making 2015.